Where the River Runs Gold

by Sita Brahmachari

Key information

Author: Sita Brahmachari

Illustrator: 

Release Date: 21st July 2019

Star rating: ★★★★★

Book type: Chapter, 336 pages, paperback

Reader level: Confident reader (10+)

Overview

Life on earth has changed dramatically after global climate catastrophes devastated natural resources and the economy. The world is no longer filled with trees and flowers, bees have gone extinct and crops cannot grow. People are starving to death as food is rationed and the rich take the only resources left for themselves and others are left to forage and scavenge in a barren world. 

Shifa, a young girl who lives with her dad and twin brother, Themba, doesn't remember what life was life before disaster struck, but she knows that something isn't right. She knows that people never had to carry their ID to walk to the shop. She knows that the world was never patrolled by guards with stun guns. And she knows that the government never used to monitor innocent people using drones, waiting to capture and punish any slight mistake they make. But what did the world used to look like, and how long will it look like this?

On her 11th birthday, Shifa and her twin are congratulated on making it into the Freedom Fields Family- a 5 year service for children living in Freedom Fields. As the posters tell her, she will join the child workforce and rebuild the ecosystems that have been lost, pollinating flowers, growing crops and making the world a better place. She will be looked after by the best doctors and healthcare. She will make friends and be fed three meals a day. But... what will happen to her father and her cat, Daisy? Will she see her father again? Is this place really the haven that is appears to be...?

Shortly after arriving, Shifa finally understands why her father had been reluctant to let them go: this place isn't a camp, it's a prison. Separated from her brother, she learns that life in Freedom Fields is no better than at home. Children are forced to work every hour of the day, they are punished for every little thing and it doesn't seem that their efforts are making the slightest difference to the world around them.

Fearing for their lives, Shifa decides that she and her brother must escape. When Themba is forced to care for an unwell old lady, he begins to write down the rhymes and riddles that she mutters as he works. Meanwhile, Shifa gains access to the orchard that contains a mysterious door and together, they work out that there is a way to escape afte all. Shifa begins to collect items that will be needed for their escape, and soon her and Themba are making their way towards the river on their treacherous journey home. 

Additional teaching opportunities 

Vocabulary 

Where the River Runs Gold contains some excellent vocabulary (all Tier 2 vocabulary listed below are from chapters 1 and 2 alone!)

A lot of the language used creates a sense of darkness and despair which would be brilliant if writing a suspense or dark adventure piece. 

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